If the machines runs Linux, so it's under GPL? If so, aren't any modifications to OS GPL's too?
On 9/25/09, Pablo Manalastas <[email protected]> wrote: > The Death of Election 2010 Source Code Review > [Para hindi maging OT, the election programs run on uClinux and SUSE Linux] > > http://pmana.multiply.com/journal/item/84/The_Death_of_Election_2010_Source_Code_Review_Sep_23_09 > > If you saw the ANC special on Election 2010 at 8:00 o'clock PM on Monday > night, where I asked Comelec when the source code of the Election 2010 > computer programs will be released for review by interested political > parties and groups, Director Rafanan said that CenPEG will not do a source > code review, but a international certification agency will do the review as > a prerequisite to TEC certification. After customization in November 2009, > and after code review by that international certification agency in February > 2010, the source code will be "shown" to interested political parties, but > not reviewed by them. The PPCRV representative and Ramon Casiple and Renato > Garcia even added that the source code will be presented in much the same > manner that a company shows its financial statements to the public. > > My daughter Karen keeps telling me that I should not cite the law, RA-9369 > Section 12, which reads: > > "Once an AES technology is selected for implementation, the Commission shall > promptly make the source code of that technology available and open to any > interested political party or groups which may conduct their own review > thereof." > > She says that I should not cite the law to the lawyers of COMELEC, since > they are better at the law, and they can can twist the meaning of the law to > whatever they want the law to look like. But I argue with her that this > provision is not just a question of law, but a question of computer > technology as well, at which I am slightly better than the lawyers of > COMELEC. No matter how I twist and turn and squeeze and pull and push these > words of Section 12, I see no way out but for COMELEC to release the source > code to the political parties and groups who are interested, and showing > them the advertizing page of a company giving a healthy financial statement > of the company is not a substitute for source code review. Ask any computer > programmer, ask Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, ask the members of the > Philippine Linux Users' Group and they will NEVER agree that showing the > public a certification by an international certification agency that states > that the Dominion Voting Systems "Democracy Suite Ballot Marking System > plus the Democracy Suite Image Cast" has been certified and is suitable for > use in the Primaries in New York, is not an acceptable certification that > the "Democracy Suite Image Cast" alone (which Smartmatic has renamed to > SAES-1800 PCOS computer) is suitable for use in the Philippines. > > What I do not understand is why "computer security experts" like Mr. Mara > and others from the CyberSecurity groups do not want the political parties > to do a source code review. Why should reviewing the source code make the > election programs more susceptible to external attacks? Have they not seen > the experience of Linux and OpenOffice and GIMP and so many other programs > that are freely available on the Net? Their source codes are available for > ANYONE to download and review and modify to their hearts' content, and never > have I seen a report stating that the security of Linux or OpenOffice or > GIMP has been compromised as a result of these reviews. On the other hand, > the source code of Microsoft Windows XP and Vista, are not available for > download anywhere, and yet there are gazillions of viruses and > vulnerabilities of Windows. This is because opening up the source code for > review allows more people to study and to help correct the vulnerabilities. > These corrections for improvement can be accepted by COMELEC, if it wants > and rejected otherwise. It is still COMELEC's call. It is COMELEC's > acceptance or rejection of suggestions for improvements that will determine > the future quality of the election programs, not the source code review > itself. > > But Director Rafanan has already made his final word on the issue, and I > believe Director Rafanan's word is god's word. May God bless COMELEC, and > may I ask, like Jesus asked, to "Father forgive them, for they know not what > they do". > _________________________________________________ > Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List > http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug > Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph > -- Sent from my mobile device Kelsey Hartigan Go Registered Linux user #5998 _________________________________________________ Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List http://lists.linux.org.ph/mailman/listinfo/plug Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph
